Small Steps
by 24isthebest
Summary: With every small step towards redemption Regina takes, that damn cricket is there beside her, chirping in her ear and encouraging her. Truth be told, she didn't completely hate it. [Regina&Archie]


I have the worst shipping tendencies with OUAT. I love the interactions between Archie and Regina and how he sees good in her, so I figure I'd write some of my thoughts down. Everything I wrote is very friendship oriented for now. (I can't decide if I want to continue this and expand on the potential of a relationship.)

Please read and review! It makes me happy and motivates me to go on! :)

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Why was she even bothering coming to something like this?

_For my son. _

She had to constantly be reminding herself of that. She was doing this for Henry. She was coming to show everyone that she had changed, that she wanted to redeem herself. It was just hard trying to show this damn town she was trying to change when they were so hell bent on thinking she was still evil.

And that was why she was here at the town picnic. The town's chance to get together, have fun, and eat food made by Granny. She would rather stab her eyes out than be around people who looked at her like she was the scum of the earth. She could see Henry playing ring toss with David a few feet over. She saw Ruby passing out food with Granny, subtly keeping an eye on her to make sure she wasn't going to go on an evil rampage and kill everyone in the town. Emma and Mary Margaret were talking to the dwarves animatedly, probably sharing some story about something she didn't care about. Belle and Mr. Gold were sitting rather intimately at another picnic table, talking in hushed tones. And here she was, at a picnic table. Alone. Always alone.

For a second, a pang gripped her heart but she immediately squashed it. The last thing she needed was to feel sorry for herself. She was choosing to be there for Henry. She used to be the Evil Queen! Emotion like that only led down a destructive path. That was something she knew from experience.

"Regina?" She looked up to see Archie standing next to her picnic bench, smiling. "Aren't you hungry? I know Ruby and Granny made enough food for an army."

She returned his wide smile with an unsure one. "I'm actually not that hungry, but thank you."

"Well at the least, it wouldn't hurt to say hi to everyone. Let's go say hi together." He stated again, extending his hand to help her up.

Her heart burned. He felt sorry for her. He saw her sitting alone and decided that he wanted to help her out. Who said she wanted to interact with those people? Ignoring his outstretched hand, she got up and stepped dangerously close to him. "Dr. Hopper, I do not need your pity or sympathy." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mary Margaret and Ruby turn their gaze.

His eyes crinkled in kindness, unphased by her tone. "I never said I was extending either of those entities to you. I just wanted to say hi to everyone and figured you would too."

"Well, I'm happy here."

"Suit yourself." He tipped his head forward, walking towards the area where the rest of the town had congregated.

Without thinking, her feet carried her in the same direction, standing right behind him. She felt the palpable silence that seemed to penetrate her body as soon as she stood next to Archie, but she focused on his smile and found words again. "I actually got a little hungry, and all that food smells so good!" She extended her biggest smile over to Granny.

"You're welcome to anything you like Regina. Ruby, give her a plate please." She looked over at her granddaughter who looked less than enthused at her presence.

Once she got her food, she froze. Should she stay and try to make conversation? She looked for Archie, who was now in a conversation with Emma and Mary Margaret nearby. With only Ruby in front of her, she took the leap. "Did you help Granny make all this food?"

She looked at her like she had two heads. "Yeah, I did."

What should she say now? "That's great."

She heard a scoff behind her and Leroy appeared. "As if you care."

Sharpness filled her eyes as she addressed him. "I was just making pleasant conversation."

Leroy rolled his eyes, raising his voice so everyone could hear. "We don't need your pleasant conversations. Saying a couple nice things to us doesn't make what you did to us ok. People like you don't change."

She put down her plate. She didn't need this. She didn't need them. "Thank you for this event Granny. But I'm just going to say goodbye to Henry and get going." How could she ever think that she would be accepted by these people? She turned on her heel and briskly started walking away to her car to get her gift for Henry. The faster she gave it to him, the faster she could leave these judgmental people behind.

She could feel a figure following her as she reached her car. "Dr. Hopper, I'm fine. Really."

"You know what he said isn't true."

She whipped around, turning to face him. Her back was towards the rest of the town, laughing and conversing with each other. Tears stung her eyes. "It doesn't matter what is truth or not. It matters whether they believe it is truth."

Archie took a step closer. "Don't let the outburst of one person stop you from showing Henry how much you've changed."

"Have I really changed though? Can people change?" Her mother couldn't. The evil and need for power in her mother's heart could not be put to rest until it devoured everything.

"You can change Regina. You have." Archie smiled at her like her knew exactly what she was thinking. She hated how he could do that. "These people, they don't know you like I do. I see how much you care about Henry. How much you love him and want to see him happy." He motioned to the gift in her car. "Don't let anyone convince you otherwise."

"I just wish others could see things the way you do." Her voice came out almost unrecognizable, filled with emotion. She hated how vulnerable this man always made her. Damn bug.

"I think everyone, deep down, sees the good inside of you Regina. It isn't hard to see when you look at the way you interact with Henry. I've just had a little more time seeing it in our sessions."

The last person to really see the good inside of her was Daniel. What had she done to deserve this from Archie?

"Thank you." She whispered, barely audible to herself, but by the smile Archie had on, she knew he heard.

"It's such a nice day Regina, wouldn't you like to go for a walk? It's too nice to be stuck at home."

"Dr. Hopper," she said teasingly, "Is this the treatment plan you take with all your patients?"

"Of course not. This is just a friendly walk between two friends. Pongo and Henry are both happy here right now, and we'll be back before they even realize."

Friends. That was a new concept to her. Everyone in her life either had something she wanted or had something they wanted from her. Dr. Hopper fit into neither of those categories.

She closed the car door that had been ajar this whole time. "I guess some fresh air wouldn't hurt."

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